Morning Light
by platinumfocus
Summary: Beckett and Castle look to each other for comfort after a hard case. Was a oneshot, added Rick's POV.
1. Kate

**Okay, so I've been much to nervous to post anything before. What use is a new year if you don't try new things? Also my first Castle attempt, and it shows. **

**Disclaimer: Of course, I do not own Castle.**

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She was still mostly asleep, and everything seemed wonderful. His body fit against hers so perfectly, one of his arms across her body. Her cold feet were tucked under his legs, grasping at the warmth he was giving off. His face was still tucked into her tangled hair, as if he'd fallen asleep while smelling it.

Kate woke with a start. Everything from the night before came rushing back.

The case they had been on was a tough one, a little girl had been killed. It was a brutal crime, against such an innocent child. In the end, they got the guy, but not before they had spent two weeks with her little face looking down at them from the murder board. Her green eyes reminded Kate of her own.

After wrapping the case, the team went out for a few drinks. They usually celebrated closing a case, but tonight even Castle wasn't in the mood for joking. The night passed quietly. Around 11, Ryan left, and then Esposito, and she was left alone with Castle.

Kate was feeling vulnerable, feeling exposed. In need of some comfort, but determined not to let it come from Castle.

Finally, they ended up outside, waiting for a taxi.

Maybe it was the alcohol, but when her taxi pulled up, she suddenly couldn't stand the thought of being alone. She turned to him, eyes pleading.

"Castle, please." He looked so confused, but she didn't want to be alone. "Come home with me Rick, I can't be alone tonight."

He didn't miss the desperation in her voice, or the pleading way she used his name. He slid into the taxi beside her.

At her apartment, he was standing in her doorway. He didn't know what she wanted from him, and was determined not to take advantage of her. She turned to him with tears in her eyes.

"I know Kate. No one's little girl deserves that. If that was Alexis…"

He pulled her close and she let herself cry. All of the horrible things she saw everyday had built up, and she just needed to express it. She drifted to sleep curled up on his lap on the couch.

It wasn't much later that she woke when he moved to lift her from the couch. He expected her to be angry, to tell him to go home.

As she held his gaze for a second, she considered it, but instead, she moved closer to him.

Looking back at it, she had no idea what made her kiss him. The first kiss had been tentative; like she was afraid he'd pull away. When he didn't, the second kiss was longer, more passionate. She could feel her body responding to him, the heat building up inside her. She needed him. She'd denied it for so long, but she needed him tonight.

She allowed him to carry her to her bedroom.

"Kate, is this what you want?" The quiver in his voice was unmistakable. "I don't want to take adv-"

She cut him off with a kiss, as she wrapped her legs around him and pulled him close. That was the last he said about it. The walls they had built up around their frustration. Only Kate and Rick, and they had each other.

Much later, clothes covered the ground and sweat covered their bodies. She had no regrets, and allowed herself to fall asleep in his arms.

In the morning light, she wasn't so sure of her decision. What would this do to their working relationship? She was sure that he would never want to pursue this, whatever this was. He was the playboy; he could have any woman he wanted. She could never hold a candle to the women, mostly actresses and models, she'd seen him with. She wondered why she did something so out of character.

In frustration, she allowed herself to slip back onto the bed beside him, carefully not touching his bare skin. He stirred, and reached out for her.

"Mm, Kate?" His voice was soft and loving.

"Yes?"

"I love you."

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_A/N: Do the amateur a favor and review, k? Try to be gentle, I'm incredibly nervous about it._


	2. Rick

**Castle's side of Morning Light. **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Castle. :(**

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While they were out supposedly "celebrating" closing their case, Castle had drank a lot more than he normally did. That night the atmosphere was somber, not celebratory. They hadn't spoken about it, but the truth was that they were drinking to deal with the pain of this case.

Castle had never written this particular aspect of crime solving. His novels rarely went beyong catching the bad guy, and his characters were artificially infalable. These evenings had no place in a bestseller, but they definitely had a place in the real life work he did with Beckett.

He knew, without anyone ever having said it, that something about that girl had stuck with all of them. It wasn't just that she was innocent and beautiful, and it wasn't just how anguished her parents were. And it wasn't just that this had been the most brutal child case in years. Something about this girl reminded each and every person that saw that little face on the murder board of someone they loved. At first, all he had seen was Alexis, and imagined how devasted he would if that was her, if he had to see her the way he'd seen that little angel.

But as the case went on, as he became more familiar with her family, with her face, that changed a little. Her green eyes, her impish grin... She looked a lot like Detective Beckett. He was sure she saw it too.

Ryan and Esposito had left earlier, leaving him sitting at a table, staring at Beckett staring at her drink. They hadn't spoken in about twenty minutes, but it felt good not to be alone. Alexis was spending the week with her mother, and he never knew if Martha would be home or not. He dreaded going home to an empty apartment. It made him feel like the eventual loneliness he often saw on the face of an old man might be where he would end up.

Kate finished yet another drink, and Rick dropped some cash on the table. He reached for her hand, indicating they should leave. He'd shared drinks with Kate Beckett more than a few times, and tonight was the first time he'd seen her stumble.

He was shocked when she asked him to get in the cab. He was even more shocked when she invited him in. But it didn't compare to the shock of seeing her cry. She fell asleep in his arms, and he decided to put her in bed.

When she kissed him, he almost lost control right there. It wasn't supposed to happen this way, but it was happening.

He managed to keep control long enough to ask her.

"Kate, is this what you want? I don't want to take adv-" She cut him off with a kiss, wrapping her legs around him. He let instict take over from there.

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Richard Castle was no stranger to sharing his bed. He'd had two marriages and a few more women than he carried to admit, although far less than the tabloids implied. But this time was different. The woman in his bed was Kate Beckett.

He woke up when she sat up, and he could feel the tension she was feeling. The air around her changed, and all of her muscles were tight. What was bothering her? Was it the case or...

He suddenly understood. She was thinking about him. She had taken notice of the other women he'd been with, she knew his reputation. She didn't understand that she wasn't a trophy he had been chasing. Womne were never like that for him, and especially not Beckett. Now that he'd had her, he never wanted to let her go.

He wished that it hadn't happened like this. She deserved better, and their relationship deserved better. This wasn't supposed to be a drunked one night stand. He had decided a long time ago to let this go as slow as it needed to go, because he wanted to be her "one and done". He reached out for her, his body sluggish despite how mentally alert he was.

He said her name, as gently as he could. He'd meant to tell her to go back to sleep, but he couldn't help what slipped out.

"I love you."

The hard case and lack of sleep were catching up with her. Had she been more awake she would have been shocked. She would have worried about what this would do to their professional relationship. But as it was, she cuddled in against his chest, resting her head against him with a smile.

"I think I love you too Castle."

That was a start, although he would have preffered it if she used his first name instead of his last name. But before he could say anything, she had fallen fast asleep in his arms. She was so beautiful.

"I know I love you, Katherine Beckett. Mark my words, this will not be the last time you fall asleep in my arms." He whispered softly, to himself more than to her. He wasn't sure if she would ever let him live up to that pledge, or even if she would still let him follow her around after this.

But he was willing to try.

_A/N: Review? As good as Kate's side or no? For some reason I felt like this one should be more about the emotions..._


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